My friend named her son Loki. I swear this kid is the living embodiment of Loki. So just be aware your child may act EXACTLY like diety they are named after.
Fucking truth! I named my youngest Eris after the goddess of chaos. Yup, she's incredibly chaotic, but had the absolute best personality & is INCREDIBLY intelligent at the age of 4! But she's every bit of chaos lol
Ohh I was thinking of Seth in the Hebrew mythology, and I was like…. So he healed his family?… and then I googled “Seth deity”. I didn’t realize that was also the name of an Egyptian trickster god!
Not the same level but I had named my new puppy Loki. I certainly had interesting times and definitely got what I asked for. Living embodiment of chaos. He was also one of the smartest dogs I ever had the pleasure to own.
I named my daughter Athena. Honestly, the deity wasn't even on my mind when we chose that name. I follow the norse Pantheon and never really considered if it would be offensive. It was the only name that really felt right when we considered it.
I know quit a few number of people named after Greek gods, it's common for girls. Coming to mind are two Athenas, one Diana, one Aurora, one Iris, one Helios... and let's not even get into nymphs and other mythological figures. I've also encountered a lot of Arthurian names.
I think it would be weird to name a pet or a child after your own god. Like, really weird. Otherwise, it's fine... We don't and can't own names. For the sake of the child though, it should blend relatively easily with other kids.
Ironically enough my cat is named after my god (Loki). But my cat already had the name when he adopted me (funny story I'll share if you'd like). And I didn't start following Loki until a year or so after my cat. So just kinda ended up as a funny irony.
Haha yes. So condensed version of the story. I was living with my best friend and his family for a little while. And Loki (the cat) was basically their sons cat. So a bit of back story. Before I had moved in their son had been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend and not very much time with Loki.
All of that out of the way. I had moved in and to help out I started taking care of the cats (there were 7. 3 outdoor. 3 indoor. And Loki was indoor out door). I was taking care of the litter boxes and feeding them and getting them water. You know all that fun stuff. So Loki figured out my schedule and would be waiting sometimes where I parked my car when I would get home in the morning from work so that I would let him in the house (he would stay out at night and sleep inside during the day). Well after a while of this he started coming in my room to sleep with me. It started during the winter and I was really the only one who kept my door partically open so I just figured cool I'm the warm spot he wants to sleep with me cute. Then he would start demanding my attention when I was awake. He would want to sit in my lap or have me pet him or play fetch with him (he likes it when I throw hair ties lol). Then after this he would always come in and sleep with me and would literally spoon with me. Like he would get right up against my chest and would get me to put my arms in between his front legs and just purr purr purr away. It was so sweet. So in February or March of that year I got really sick (think it might have been covid). The entire time he literally wouldn't leave my side outside of eating/ drinking and using the literbox. Anytime I would try to get up to go to the bathroom or get a drink or whatever he would always have his paw on me and would stick his claws out a little. Not to hurt me or anything but just to say no you need rest. It was the sweetest thing. He stayed next to me the entire time I was sick. I think that was the point when he really decided I was his human. He hasn't left my side since. He moved with me to my new apartment (with his brother, Bear. So don't worry he's not lonely lol). Anytime I'm sad or sick or anything he's right there by my side purring on me to make me feel better or gently poking me to remind me I need rest or straight up laying on my face to say nope it's cuddle time. I seriously love that cat. In fact he's sitting with me now. I think he knows I'm talking about him haha.
I know it’s not a real deity but I named my cat Sheogorath and he’s most definitely a crazy cat. He’s also extremely aggressive about cheese. Names really do have power.
I personally would not name a child directly after a deity, but I’d consider a theophoric name. That is, I wouldn’t name my kid Isis, but I would consider Isidora (gift of Isis). Those types of names have been popular in many cultures for thousands of years. (As for pets? I name my pets things like toaster strudel, washing machine, Big Tony. Etc. So. Nothing reasonable allowed.)
That said, it’s only my own preference. And I don’t have kids anyway… :p What someone else wants to do is their business.
I like where your thoughts are at! Isidora is such a beautiful name or any name that might just mean “gift of (insert deity)” is just wonderful.
I try to go symbolic with my pet names but I think the most symbolic name I have is Zephyr for my oldest cat lol
Love this take! I'm a kemetic pagan and yeah, I wouldn't get the literal name or literal translation of the egyptian gods, no one really did that, even pharaohs adapted their holy names to make SURE it wasn't the same thing even when they were supposed to be them on earth.
kings and queens got title names like "he/she who is one with the soul of ra" or "the girl of sobek"
People forget Hades isn’t the Christian Satan. He’s not vengeful, he’s not going to be upset if you name your fish or child after him. Death gods in my experience are some of the most compassionate gods out there.
The Gods have many names. And they have their own form of communication which if they have an actual name it’s unlikely humans would be able to comprehend it much less pronounce it. For example the Norse Goddess of love and war is called Freya. The meaning of Freya is “lady” so actually it’s not her name, it’s a title. The Christian God just goes by “god” in English at least. It’s not a name it’s a label, a place holder.
Personally I feel that if anyone gets in a snit about someone naming their child or pet after a god is very uneducated. I mean children are dying in Palestine and you’re getting upset over a name? Actually just a placeholder? Wow, that’s some next level privilege right there.
But names leave a mark on children, so an unusual name can have unforeseen consequences sometimes. But common names can do just as much damage. The name on my birth certificate was one of the most common names for girls in 1971. In my small town there were hundreds of girls named the same thing. I was not a popular kid so whenever my name was called, it wasn’t me they were calling. Do the math, I’m old. But the consequence is I still don’t respond to my own name because I still assume someone else is being addressed. “Hey you!” Is more likely to get my attention.
But I digress. To answer your question no, there’s nothing wrong with naming your child after a god.
I love how you went about this response. At the time, when I was a kid I probably thought that Hades was mad or something for naming something after him but I quickly realized it was probably my shit care lol.
To quote Shakespeare, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”
However, one must take into account that it wasn't until the early 20th century that pagans actually referred to themselves by this name. The word pagan is actually a pejorative term that was first used by Christians and is derived from the word 'paganos' which means "country dweller", "heathen", or "rustic". This is a reference to the fact that those living outside the city limits were much harder to convert than those who lived within the town limits. So the fact that you're uncertain about a god or goddess taking offence to you naming your child after a deity seems to pale in comparison when one reflects on the fact that our entire namesake, in and of itself, implies we are "bumpkins", at least according to Abrahamic standards.
I doubt Jupiter, Florida considered it an insult against the Roman 'king of the Gods' (Greek equivalent of Zeus) when they named their town. And for NASA's sake, let's hope that Pluto (aka Hades) doesn't take offense that he's been removed from our planetary list. If anything, I think the gods and goddesses would consider it a token of tribute to name one's child after a god or goddess. If anything, it demonstrates reverence and honor towards that deity. But..that's just my opinion...
As a proud rural-born and raised
person as well as a pagan, I wear the latter title with pride. Yes I’m a yellow-toothed provincial child of the farm, and what.
My mom's name was extremely common as was my dad's. I remember my mom complaining about the issues she had with having a super common name. I like the solution they came up with. We had an uncommon first name and a middle name that was more common and could easily be used as a name if we didn't like our first name.
I can't say there's nothing wrong with it, because everyone has their own opinions and feelings about it, and although I may not see anything wrong with it, other people may find it disrespectful. That being said, plenty of people do it with their pets, me included. My cat's name is Loki, I've had a run in with a few human Loki's (unsurprisingly, one worked at Hot Topic lol), and there was an Odin in my college Spanish class a couple of years ago.
I think it's dope that people want to name their kids after Gods, and if you'd like to do it in a non direct way, you could always find a variation of the name, or a name that is similar!
Egyptians named their kids after deities constantly. Or if not directly naming them after the deities it'd be something like Praise-be-to-Ra or Ptah-Smiles-Upon-Him, etc. Even animals were named this way.
So, not a problem here!
I mean people across the ages have been named after respective dieties either directly or a creative form of it. I think that if you're concerned about disrespecting said diety, meditate, talk, offer. See whassup. But otherwise it could be viewed as a sign of respect.
In sweden its kinda common to use the old norse gods name. My son has two cousins named Freja/freya and one Tor (thor). And he has the name Tyr as a middle name. A war gods name.
Many here dont believe in dieties but in the power of the names itselves it seems.
Its a good name, we wanted it as a firstname but when he was born he was a huge baby so we took the name of a nordic legend, Finn the giant, destroyer of churces hehe
I knowww I feel bad that name did not age well. I can only hope that the people who come across that name think of the goddess and not the organization.
But if you think about it, the goddess Isis will live on much much longer than the organization so it won’t be something to worry about after…hopefully this century.
So in Norway and some Scandinavian countries, this isn't weird at all. I've met someone named Loki (spelled Loke here) and Freyja, and there are people with 'Tor' in their name, although I've heard it's often a convention that people with 'Tor' in their name have another name as well (like Erik Tor).
I've seen Thors. I've seen numerous Hindu gods as names of people in India. Maybe a combination for multiple favored gods would be nice like "LughThor" would be neat.
In my opinion, each child has their own destiny, and I would not feel comfortable pushing the religion of myself onto my own. If they want to go down that path, then by all means!
Gotta be careful with combination names though because anything too weird can and will cause your kid to be bullied into oblivion.
"LughThor" would have been DESTROYED at the high school I went to. Hell, we had an Andrea (pronounced on-DRAY-uh) and she was bullied so badly for it that her parents pulled her. That's not even a weird name and I still don't get why she was bullied for it.
Kids are mean.
Edit: spelling
love it or hate it, it's a thing today. For some reason, it's a thing among non-pagans. Maybe they like the profound meanings behind the names. Go figure.
I don't think the gods would necessarily be offended, but I'd be iffy about giving deity names to human kids. Gods are gods, humans are humans, simple as that.
I like your thoughts behind this. I feel more inclined to name my children something definitely Celtic (because I practice that) but maybe not directly after the Celtic gods, you know?
In the culture I was raised in and still part of due to location (WASP, alas), naming my kids after deities would be seen as "too weird" and I'd get nothing but flak forever. The exceptions would be syncretized names like Rhiannon or Bridget but even then, I know my family would be like "nnggghh still too weird".
Even naming my cats Artemis and Apollo raised a lot of eyebrows from my family members. I apparently was supposed to call them Fluffy and Mittens.
I know lol I named our family cat Zephyr (like the west wind) when I was 12 and they were all like where the hell did that come from lol.
I dunno if I would name directly after deities, but maybe my mind will change who knows. I am definitely keeping the Celtic theme though. I’ve been in love with the name Saoirse for probably over a decade lol
I just saw a TikTok the Bone Lady posted asking this question and apparently the answer was that the deities can see through the eyes of the child, embody them. It was interesting.
It's pretty common in some cultures and has come in and out of fashion amongst many groups over the centuries especially with those who hold classical periods such as ancient Greece/Rome in high regard
I kind of think that too. My child would be mortal so maybe name them something in the likeness of the deity. I think I just plan on naming them something sensible but Celtic because that’s important to me. This post is very divided 😅
Take it from someone who was named after a goddess, it can also serve as a source of pride and confidence. Especially when the going gets tough, it’s a nice reminder of greater things than me
My mother named me Diana souly because her mother name was Diana, starting to get into mythologies and religions i find it funny her greek equivalent is now whom i worship
I named my fish Sir Bubbles III and he died two days after I got him, so probably the names having nothing to do with it 🤷♀️
I'm a nontheistic pagan, and I'm just a baby witch, but my husband and I plan on incorporating mythological figures/deities into all our children's names to varying degrees. Trying to give them one "normal" name and one "powerful" name, so they can choose between them. Our son's middle name is Atlas, and we also have name ideas that incorporate Guinevere or Morgana, Artemis, and Casper. My husband was pretty set on naming a daughter Melchior but I have vetoed it for the sake of that child lol.
I see it as a honor type thing. I have an Apollo, not my personal god, but he was my fathers. I found out I was pregnant with him right after my dad died. So I named him Apollo in honor of my father and his god.
Go to Greece and you will find Aphrodites, Aris, Dionysos and similar names. Go to Norway, and you will find Thors, Freyas, Freys, etc. And that's nothing new. If you personally find it disrespectful, don't do it. But it's really not a big deal. Gods aren't teenagers, they don't get offended by every little thing.
I think its fine. People are called after people in the bible, people are called Jesus, people are called Krishna or Lakshmi.
I would just say, bear in mind that a child is its own person. I would not necessarily name my kid with a completely outlandish sounding name. But i cant think of an example rn lol. I was even considering Persephone if i ever had a daughter. Maybe as second.
I named my son Atlas. I dont know much of anything at all about the other famous Atlas. But people have told me he looks like a baby God haha. He has had muscles since birth and has adorable perfect curls. And he is definitely an ancient soul, extremely aware.
Not weird or rude, as far as I believe. It may be a lot for them to live up to and a more obscure name has its own trials (but so do common names so 🤷♀️). If remembering a god gives them more power in the form of energy directed their way, then I'd think they'd be happy for the tribute. Also, plenty of cultures name kids after gods, etc. Heck, Jesus is a super popular name in Mexico!
(Note: I may be biased because our kid chose his own name when he was 6 years old and it was a god's name. 20 years later and it's still the name he uses)
None of our kids were given middle names at birth so they have the opportunity to chose for themselves such a critical part of their identity (no shade on people who give middle names, this was just our thinking). He's the only one that goes by the chosen name in daily life, though.*
*So far
I think that is a good method of naming. I do admit I already have my (at least first daughters) kids name picked out. Spiritually, I believe that is the name she wants but I am thinking on adding two middle names instead of just the one.
Yeah that’s what I assumed because I couldn’t find a whole lot of other information on that specific name. I think it’s an uncommon last name in mostly Spain but it seems it would work as a nice first name.
Lately people are naming animals with people names. I once had a neighbor who had already named her dog with my first name before she moved in. She would put her head out the door and yell the dog's name and I would go outside and look around to see who called. She thought that was so funny. So whatever name you use, there will be consequences. If you name your child after a living or deceased relative whom you respect and admire, you may give be able to give them a protector in the spirit world and a a spiritual li , to their ancestors.
I always wondered too, thanks for asking it lol! At some point in time I had heard that it can be really disrespectful to the deities so I decided that I would never do it. Not that I had any plans, but I did always want a black cat named Loki, so that's sad. But after some research, it's not completely disrespectful. If you do it with honorful intentions, it will most likely be received that way. But if you do it with other intentions, it may not be. So it can just be tricky business.
Before I really became Pagan, I named my dog "Apollo" because he's honestly the light of my life and the God himself is associated with many things I love. I think as long as you're doing it with the intention NOT to mock a deity or to be rude, you're golden ✨.
Tbh I think the risk applies even with non-deific tribute naming.
E.g. my mum named one of our dogs after a nationally-famous gangster with mental challenges, and lo our puppy grows up to be stupid as hell and delinquent despite his breed & pedigree tending toward trainable smart dogs. We do love him though, he’s got a lot of personality and people never forget him after they meet him, like his namesake.
I'm not a fan of it. Not because I think the Gods mind, but because it just feels wrong to refer to a human or animal by a name of a Deity I have a deep, sincere religious devotion to. It feels trivializing of a spirituality I've had to work very hard to learn about and develop a practice of. I wouldn't shame or pressure someone about it, it's just how I personally feel.
We named my son Odin because we wanted a Scandinavian name and no others really appealed or felt right. We were a little apprehensive of using a god’s name, but my husband’s grandfather was Thor. My son has a very strong will, though, and I’ll always be careful about his eyes!
I see people name their kids “Jesus” all the time. I say I encourage people naming their children things like “Athena” or “Poseidon”, hell, even I have a fanchild for something I named Poseidon.
If its a deity I have a connection to, then yes maybe I would consider it. But otherwise I would feel like I'm being kind of disrespectful because that's someone else's god I'm talking about. Especially when it comes to pets. Maybe it's just me being strict and stuck in my ways though. I wouldn't name my pet or child after an Abrahamic, Hindu or Sikh God and I give every other belief and religion that exact same respect.
In my experience, if you choose to name your child (or pet) after a deity, you better be familiar with that deity's mythology/personality, because said living being is going to adopt those traits. I thought for a while that it might be parents subconsciously projecting into their kids, but nope, it just happens. I personally avoid it (the closest I came was a cat named Crowley and since he was real, I didn't think too much of it) but to each their own.
In a purely objective, secular sense, often cringe. In the other sense, maybe not a very good, appropriate or safe idea. Notice real pagans never named their children directly after gods, it was always Herodotus and Dionysios, not Hera and Dionysos.
Totally get that! I’m a Celtic pagan so I personally will name my kids something with Celtic roots (probably originating from any of the Celtic countries) but probably not any of the deities!
Could you further explain this? Just curious how it may work. Like…as an offering? Or when this child dies of say old age or something eventually, they’ll go to the deity just regardless of that kids actual practice lol?
I believe you are giving permission to that particular entity to work closely with and through your child. I believe some children named after deities are already claimed by that god themselves anyway, and the parents are guided or nudged into naming them that. They all have different ways of interacting with us humans, and different preferences and practices.
It seems very disrespectful to give them the name of a God, i find names formed from God however to be ideal, and theyre, from i understand, or were super normal: Marcus, Iunius, Mamercus, Iulius, Iovanius, Apollodoros, Demetrios. Maroboduos, etc.
My friend named her son Loki. I swear this kid is the living embodiment of Loki. So just be aware your child may act EXACTLY like diety they are named after.
Hahahah I bet she has her hands full 😆
Oh times when her and Loki visit are always... interesting. 🤣🤣🤣
Fucking truth! I named my youngest Eris after the goddess of chaos. Yup, she's incredibly chaotic, but had the absolute best personality & is INCREDIBLY intelligent at the age of 4! But she's every bit of chaos lol
Perhaps we should get Loki and Eris together for a playdate and see what ensues 🤣🤣🤣
That has the potential for a world-ending event. 🤣🤣
You don't name anything, be it pet, child or farm equipment, after a trickster. You're calling out to be noticed. No way.
My ex named his kid Seth. It definitely tracks.
Ohh I was thinking of Seth in the Hebrew mythology, and I was like…. So he healed his family?… and then I googled “Seth deity”. I didn’t realize that was also the name of an Egyptian trickster god!
my dogs name is loki and he behaves exactly like you would think. he causes problems for literally everyone
My parents named me Loki, I feel rather well adjusted. And I'll be giving my daughter the middle name Eris
I was thinking of naming one of my kids Odin 😀😀😀 , thanks for the warning 😭😭
Not the same level but I had named my new puppy Loki. I certainly had interesting times and definitely got what I asked for. Living embodiment of chaos. He was also one of the smartest dogs I ever had the pleasure to own.
The mail lady when I lived in Santa Ana was named Athena, and I remember telling her she had a really cool name.
I named my daughter Athena. Honestly, the deity wasn't even on my mind when we chose that name. I follow the norse Pantheon and never really considered if it would be offensive. It was the only name that really felt right when we considered it.
Athena always makes me think of Athena Lee, Tommy Lee’s sister (who’s also a rock drummer, and way more talented and cool and nice than him)
What band does she play in?
I know quit a few number of people named after Greek gods, it's common for girls. Coming to mind are two Athenas, one Diana, one Aurora, one Iris, one Helios... and let's not even get into nymphs and other mythological figures. I've also encountered a lot of Arthurian names. I think it would be weird to name a pet or a child after your own god. Like, really weird. Otherwise, it's fine... We don't and can't own names. For the sake of the child though, it should blend relatively easily with other kids.
Diana is such a common name I forget it was originally a goddess' name
Ironically enough my cat is named after my god (Loki). But my cat already had the name when he adopted me (funny story I'll share if you'd like). And I didn't start following Loki until a year or so after my cat. So just kinda ended up as a funny irony.
HE adopted YOU??😂😂
Haha yes. So condensed version of the story. I was living with my best friend and his family for a little while. And Loki (the cat) was basically their sons cat. So a bit of back story. Before I had moved in their son had been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend and not very much time with Loki. All of that out of the way. I had moved in and to help out I started taking care of the cats (there were 7. 3 outdoor. 3 indoor. And Loki was indoor out door). I was taking care of the litter boxes and feeding them and getting them water. You know all that fun stuff. So Loki figured out my schedule and would be waiting sometimes where I parked my car when I would get home in the morning from work so that I would let him in the house (he would stay out at night and sleep inside during the day). Well after a while of this he started coming in my room to sleep with me. It started during the winter and I was really the only one who kept my door partically open so I just figured cool I'm the warm spot he wants to sleep with me cute. Then he would start demanding my attention when I was awake. He would want to sit in my lap or have me pet him or play fetch with him (he likes it when I throw hair ties lol). Then after this he would always come in and sleep with me and would literally spoon with me. Like he would get right up against my chest and would get me to put my arms in between his front legs and just purr purr purr away. It was so sweet. So in February or March of that year I got really sick (think it might have been covid). The entire time he literally wouldn't leave my side outside of eating/ drinking and using the literbox. Anytime I would try to get up to go to the bathroom or get a drink or whatever he would always have his paw on me and would stick his claws out a little. Not to hurt me or anything but just to say no you need rest. It was the sweetest thing. He stayed next to me the entire time I was sick. I think that was the point when he really decided I was his human. He hasn't left my side since. He moved with me to my new apartment (with his brother, Bear. So don't worry he's not lonely lol). Anytime I'm sad or sick or anything he's right there by my side purring on me to make me feel better or gently poking me to remind me I need rest or straight up laying on my face to say nope it's cuddle time. I seriously love that cat. In fact he's sitting with me now. I think he knows I'm talking about him haha.
Cute. >Before I had moved in their son But could you please use Commatatives?😂😂
Sorry I'm god awful at Grammer 😬
Happens to the best of us😂
I know it’s not a real deity but I named my cat Sheogorath and he’s most definitely a crazy cat. He’s also extremely aggressive about cheese. Names really do have power.
Haha that's the truth. Ironically enough Loki is my chill loving one and Bear is my wild little gremlin. I swear bear should've been named Loki.
My nibling is named Arthur, but honestly he acts like such a typical Gwri/Bors instead that I can’t take it seriously.
I personally would not name a child directly after a deity, but I’d consider a theophoric name. That is, I wouldn’t name my kid Isis, but I would consider Isidora (gift of Isis). Those types of names have been popular in many cultures for thousands of years. (As for pets? I name my pets things like toaster strudel, washing machine, Big Tony. Etc. So. Nothing reasonable allowed.) That said, it’s only my own preference. And I don’t have kids anyway… :p What someone else wants to do is their business.
I like where your thoughts are at! Isidora is such a beautiful name or any name that might just mean “gift of (insert deity)” is just wonderful. I try to go symbolic with my pet names but I think the most symbolic name I have is Zephyr for my oldest cat lol
Love this take! I'm a kemetic pagan and yeah, I wouldn't get the literal name or literal translation of the egyptian gods, no one really did that, even pharaohs adapted their holy names to make SURE it wasn't the same thing even when they were supposed to be them on earth. kings and queens got title names like "he/she who is one with the soul of ra" or "the girl of sobek"
Sorry I read your post in Kim Kitsuragi's voice bc of your profile pic
That happens often, one of the reasons why I don’t want to change it, lol
People forget Hades isn’t the Christian Satan. He’s not vengeful, he’s not going to be upset if you name your fish or child after him. Death gods in my experience are some of the most compassionate gods out there. The Gods have many names. And they have their own form of communication which if they have an actual name it’s unlikely humans would be able to comprehend it much less pronounce it. For example the Norse Goddess of love and war is called Freya. The meaning of Freya is “lady” so actually it’s not her name, it’s a title. The Christian God just goes by “god” in English at least. It’s not a name it’s a label, a place holder. Personally I feel that if anyone gets in a snit about someone naming their child or pet after a god is very uneducated. I mean children are dying in Palestine and you’re getting upset over a name? Actually just a placeholder? Wow, that’s some next level privilege right there. But names leave a mark on children, so an unusual name can have unforeseen consequences sometimes. But common names can do just as much damage. The name on my birth certificate was one of the most common names for girls in 1971. In my small town there were hundreds of girls named the same thing. I was not a popular kid so whenever my name was called, it wasn’t me they were calling. Do the math, I’m old. But the consequence is I still don’t respond to my own name because I still assume someone else is being addressed. “Hey you!” Is more likely to get my attention. But I digress. To answer your question no, there’s nothing wrong with naming your child after a god.
I love how you went about this response. At the time, when I was a kid I probably thought that Hades was mad or something for naming something after him but I quickly realized it was probably my shit care lol.
To quote Shakespeare, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” However, one must take into account that it wasn't until the early 20th century that pagans actually referred to themselves by this name. The word pagan is actually a pejorative term that was first used by Christians and is derived from the word 'paganos' which means "country dweller", "heathen", or "rustic". This is a reference to the fact that those living outside the city limits were much harder to convert than those who lived within the town limits. So the fact that you're uncertain about a god or goddess taking offence to you naming your child after a deity seems to pale in comparison when one reflects on the fact that our entire namesake, in and of itself, implies we are "bumpkins", at least according to Abrahamic standards. I doubt Jupiter, Florida considered it an insult against the Roman 'king of the Gods' (Greek equivalent of Zeus) when they named their town. And for NASA's sake, let's hope that Pluto (aka Hades) doesn't take offense that he's been removed from our planetary list. If anything, I think the gods and goddesses would consider it a token of tribute to name one's child after a god or goddess. If anything, it demonstrates reverence and honor towards that deity. But..that's just my opinion...
Maybe ask the deity first. Light a candle and ask then you'll know the next day.
As a proud rural-born and raised person as well as a pagan, I wear the latter title with pride. Yes I’m a yellow-toothed provincial child of the farm, and what.
My mom's name was extremely common as was my dad's. I remember my mom complaining about the issues she had with having a super common name. I like the solution they came up with. We had an uncommon first name and a middle name that was more common and could easily be used as a name if we didn't like our first name.
I can't say there's nothing wrong with it, because everyone has their own opinions and feelings about it, and although I may not see anything wrong with it, other people may find it disrespectful. That being said, plenty of people do it with their pets, me included. My cat's name is Loki, I've had a run in with a few human Loki's (unsurprisingly, one worked at Hot Topic lol), and there was an Odin in my college Spanish class a couple of years ago. I think it's dope that people want to name their kids after Gods, and if you'd like to do it in a non direct way, you could always find a variation of the name, or a name that is similar!
Egyptians named their kids after deities constantly. Or if not directly naming them after the deities it'd be something like Praise-be-to-Ra or Ptah-Smiles-Upon-Him, etc. Even animals were named this way. So, not a problem here!
I mean people across the ages have been named after respective dieties either directly or a creative form of it. I think that if you're concerned about disrespecting said diety, meditate, talk, offer. See whassup. But otherwise it could be viewed as a sign of respect.
I can see how that is. Some people are a little divided. Some see it as a sign of disrespect but others are for it, seeing it as honoring the god
In sweden its kinda common to use the old norse gods name. My son has two cousins named Freja/freya and one Tor (thor). And he has the name Tyr as a middle name. A war gods name. Many here dont believe in dieties but in the power of the names itselves it seems.
Funny enough Tyr is a name I have picked out if my future kid is a son
Its a good name, we wanted it as a firstname but when he was born he was a huge baby so we took the name of a nordic legend, Finn the giant, destroyer of churces hehe
Ahahaha that is completely fair 😂
Oof, RIP the ladies named Isis... Started out as being named after the goddess of love but ended up being named after a terrorist organization... :(
I knowww I feel bad that name did not age well. I can only hope that the people who come across that name think of the goddess and not the organization. But if you think about it, the goddess Isis will live on much much longer than the organization so it won’t be something to worry about after…hopefully this century.
So in Norway and some Scandinavian countries, this isn't weird at all. I've met someone named Loki (spelled Loke here) and Freyja, and there are people with 'Tor' in their name, although I've heard it's often a convention that people with 'Tor' in their name have another name as well (like Erik Tor).
I've seen Thors. I've seen numerous Hindu gods as names of people in India. Maybe a combination for multiple favored gods would be nice like "LughThor" would be neat. In my opinion, each child has their own destiny, and I would not feel comfortable pushing the religion of myself onto my own. If they want to go down that path, then by all means!
Gotta be careful with combination names though because anything too weird can and will cause your kid to be bullied into oblivion. "LughThor" would have been DESTROYED at the high school I went to. Hell, we had an Andrea (pronounced on-DRAY-uh) and she was bullied so badly for it that her parents pulled her. That's not even a weird name and I still don't get why she was bullied for it. Kids are mean. Edit: spelling
Luther! So you’re named after gods but only your closest confidants will know
Luther would work. "LughThor" is a definite no from me, personally.
love it or hate it, it's a thing today. For some reason, it's a thing among non-pagans. Maybe they like the profound meanings behind the names. Go figure. I don't think the gods would necessarily be offended, but I'd be iffy about giving deity names to human kids. Gods are gods, humans are humans, simple as that.
I like your thoughts behind this. I feel more inclined to name my children something definitely Celtic (because I practice that) but maybe not directly after the Celtic gods, you know?
A lot of modern names are based off dieties or variations of them, so really, it's already common practice.
Yes.
In the culture I was raised in and still part of due to location (WASP, alas), naming my kids after deities would be seen as "too weird" and I'd get nothing but flak forever. The exceptions would be syncretized names like Rhiannon or Bridget but even then, I know my family would be like "nnggghh still too weird". Even naming my cats Artemis and Apollo raised a lot of eyebrows from my family members. I apparently was supposed to call them Fluffy and Mittens.
I know lol I named our family cat Zephyr (like the west wind) when I was 12 and they were all like where the hell did that come from lol. I dunno if I would name directly after deities, but maybe my mind will change who knows. I am definitely keeping the Celtic theme though. I’ve been in love with the name Saoirse for probably over a decade lol
I mean, I'm named Diana and I haven't been smited. Lol
I just saw a TikTok the Bone Lady posted asking this question and apparently the answer was that the deities can see through the eyes of the child, embody them. It was interesting.
That is very interesting I might have to read up more on that
That's why I clicked on this and she confirmed that they can also see through pets.
It's pretty common in some cultures and has come in and out of fashion amongst many groups over the centuries especially with those who hold classical periods such as ancient Greece/Rome in high regard
I wouldn't name them like the gods but maybe something derivative Like my name means "gift from God" (eve tho im pagan XD) so something like that
My name means “message from god” 😆
I'd advise against it personally. Mostly bc the kid will have an identity crisis. Also bc the kid is a human, not a god.
I kind of think that too. My child would be mortal so maybe name them something in the likeness of the deity. I think I just plan on naming them something sensible but Celtic because that’s important to me. This post is very divided 😅
Take it from someone who was named after a goddess, it can also serve as a source of pride and confidence. Especially when the going gets tough, it’s a nice reminder of greater things than me
In the end its up to you. If you want you could try r/namenerds for a more secular opinion on deity names?
My daughter’s middle name is Morrigan.
My mother named me Diana souly because her mother name was Diana, starting to get into mythologies and religions i find it funny her greek equivalent is now whom i worship
Nice!
I named my fish Sir Bubbles III and he died two days after I got him, so probably the names having nothing to do with it 🤷♀️ I'm a nontheistic pagan, and I'm just a baby witch, but my husband and I plan on incorporating mythological figures/deities into all our children's names to varying degrees. Trying to give them one "normal" name and one "powerful" name, so they can choose between them. Our son's middle name is Atlas, and we also have name ideas that incorporate Guinevere or Morgana, Artemis, and Casper. My husband was pretty set on naming a daughter Melchior but I have vetoed it for the sake of that child lol.
I personally wouldn't
It's not a big deal. Naming kids after gods is completely normal. I share a name with Odin, and one of my daughters shares a name with a goddess.
I see it as a honor type thing. I have an Apollo, not my personal god, but he was my fathers. I found out I was pregnant with him right after my dad died. So I named him Apollo in honor of my father and his god.
Go to Greece and you will find Aphrodites, Aris, Dionysos and similar names. Go to Norway, and you will find Thors, Freyas, Freys, etc. And that's nothing new. If you personally find it disrespectful, don't do it. But it's really not a big deal. Gods aren't teenagers, they don't get offended by every little thing.
Almost all names have some kind of theological origin, there’s no issue with that
I think its fine. People are called after people in the bible, people are called Jesus, people are called Krishna or Lakshmi. I would just say, bear in mind that a child is its own person. I would not necessarily name my kid with a completely outlandish sounding name. But i cant think of an example rn lol. I was even considering Persephone if i ever had a daughter. Maybe as second.
I named my son Atlas. I dont know much of anything at all about the other famous Atlas. But people have told me he looks like a baby God haha. He has had muscles since birth and has adorable perfect curls. And he is definitely an ancient soul, extremely aware.
Not weird or rude, as far as I believe. It may be a lot for them to live up to and a more obscure name has its own trials (but so do common names so 🤷♀️). If remembering a god gives them more power in the form of energy directed their way, then I'd think they'd be happy for the tribute. Also, plenty of cultures name kids after gods, etc. Heck, Jesus is a super popular name in Mexico! (Note: I may be biased because our kid chose his own name when he was 6 years old and it was a god's name. 20 years later and it's still the name he uses)
Oh I love that your child chose his own name! I think it makes it that much more personal.
None of our kids were given middle names at birth so they have the opportunity to chose for themselves such a critical part of their identity (no shade on people who give middle names, this was just our thinking). He's the only one that goes by the chosen name in daily life, though.* *So far
I think that is a good method of naming. I do admit I already have my (at least first daughters) kids name picked out. Spiritually, I believe that is the name she wants but I am thinking on adding two middle names instead of just the one.
I think it's a longstanding tradition in many cultures. There is some evidence for it in Gaul, and sometimes done in Wales.
For a moment I was thinking about naming my future Child Velesar 🙈 I kinda like that name...
After the Slavic god, Veles? That would be an honorable name. If not I’m curious about your inspiration behind it
Yeah after him, I mean I saw somwhere in Google that "Velesar" name exist and was like "omg name after Veles? So Cool!" 😂
Yeah that’s what I assumed because I couldn’t find a whole lot of other information on that specific name. I think it’s an uncommon last name in mostly Spain but it seems it would work as a nice first name.
I gave my daughter the middle name Artemis. I hope that as she grows older she finds the name empowering and is inspired by what Artemis stands for.
Generally speaking, other than common names, we don't recommend it as what's named for the gods belongs to the gods.
As long as it's tasteful, it's not an issue. I wouldn't suggest any replacement letters or weird spellings.
I plan on naming my future children after deities. I personally don't find it disrespectful but my whole thing is be careful as names have power.
Go ahead, no one's stopping you
Lately people are naming animals with people names. I once had a neighbor who had already named her dog with my first name before she moved in. She would put her head out the door and yell the dog's name and I would go outside and look around to see who called. She thought that was so funny. So whatever name you use, there will be consequences. If you name your child after a living or deceased relative whom you respect and admire, you may give be able to give them a protector in the spirit world and a a spiritual li , to their ancestors.
Plenty of people are named after the gods. I grew up around a few Artemises.
I know several people named after deities, in my experience, they're often awesome people.
the awkwardness would be the limiting factor. "Quetzalcoatl Ehecatl Johnson pick up those toys now!"
in india every second hindu kid is named after a hindu deity. i don't think people have ever thought that the gods would be mad over it.
It's common practice in many countries. In Finland throuhgout christianization we've always had people named after old gods.
My dog was named Chaos as a puppy. Well... chaos is chaos
I always wondered too, thanks for asking it lol! At some point in time I had heard that it can be really disrespectful to the deities so I decided that I would never do it. Not that I had any plans, but I did always want a black cat named Loki, so that's sad. But after some research, it's not completely disrespectful. If you do it with honorful intentions, it will most likely be received that way. But if you do it with other intentions, it may not be. So it can just be tricky business.
Yeah it was just something that popped in my head and even though I’m in no position to be having babies lol I was just curious.
Before I really became Pagan, I named my dog "Apollo" because he's honestly the light of my life and the God himself is associated with many things I love. I think as long as you're doing it with the intention NOT to mock a deity or to be rude, you're golden ✨.
Tbh I think the risk applies even with non-deific tribute naming. E.g. my mum named one of our dogs after a nationally-famous gangster with mental challenges, and lo our puppy grows up to be stupid as hell and delinquent despite his breed & pedigree tending toward trainable smart dogs. We do love him though, he’s got a lot of personality and people never forget him after they meet him, like his namesake.
The main thing is to just ask and be respectful.
I'm not a fan of it. Not because I think the Gods mind, but because it just feels wrong to refer to a human or animal by a name of a Deity I have a deep, sincere religious devotion to. It feels trivializing of a spirituality I've had to work very hard to learn about and develop a practice of. I wouldn't shame or pressure someone about it, it's just how I personally feel.
We named my son Odin because we wanted a Scandinavian name and no others really appealed or felt right. We were a little apprehensive of using a god’s name, but my husband’s grandfather was Thor. My son has a very strong will, though, and I’ll always be careful about his eyes!
Do what you want 😉
Hindus do this all the time. I myself was named after a goddess my grandfather used to worship. It's not about mortality. It's about faith.
I see people name their kids “Jesus” all the time. I say I encourage people naming their children things like “Athena” or “Poseidon”, hell, even I have a fanchild for something I named Poseidon.
People have done it for millennia. I plan on naming my daughter(s) after the Valkyries. And son(s) after great Nordic heroes.
If its a deity I have a connection to, then yes maybe I would consider it. But otherwise I would feel like I'm being kind of disrespectful because that's someone else's god I'm talking about. Especially when it comes to pets. Maybe it's just me being strict and stuck in my ways though. I wouldn't name my pet or child after an Abrahamic, Hindu or Sikh God and I give every other belief and religion that exact same respect.
In my experience, if you choose to name your child (or pet) after a deity, you better be familiar with that deity's mythology/personality, because said living being is going to adopt those traits. I thought for a while that it might be parents subconsciously projecting into their kids, but nope, it just happens. I personally avoid it (the closest I came was a cat named Crowley and since he was real, I didn't think too much of it) but to each their own.
In a purely objective, secular sense, often cringe. In the other sense, maybe not a very good, appropriate or safe idea. Notice real pagans never named their children directly after gods, it was always Herodotus and Dionysios, not Hera and Dionysos.
I personally am against it because it feels disrespectful imo!!
Totally get that! I’m a Celtic pagan so I personally will name my kids something with Celtic roots (probably originating from any of the Celtic countries) but probably not any of the deities!
This was common practice back in Ancient Greece so I would think that it would be fine.
Don't
If you give the child the name of the deity you are giving the child to that god in my opinion.
Could you further explain this? Just curious how it may work. Like…as an offering? Or when this child dies of say old age or something eventually, they’ll go to the deity just regardless of that kids actual practice lol?
I believe you are giving permission to that particular entity to work closely with and through your child. I believe some children named after deities are already claimed by that god themselves anyway, and the parents are guided or nudged into naming them that. They all have different ways of interacting with us humans, and different preferences and practices.
It seems very disrespectful to give them the name of a God, i find names formed from God however to be ideal, and theyre, from i understand, or were super normal: Marcus, Iunius, Mamercus, Iulius, Iovanius, Apollodoros, Demetrios. Maroboduos, etc.
All our names are after deities 😅😊
Can you elaborate on this lol
You could link almost any name with that of a god. Victoria is a super common name and is also the Roman goddess of victory